Didn't Expect That...

I am getting bad at predicting stuff. It seems every time I make a guess and publish it, the exact opposite happens. I thought it would be a New York-Phoenix finals, but it turned out quite the opposite: New Jersey-LA.


It is about time that Brodeur and the Devils get into the Stanley Cup playoffs, it's been a long hard career for Brodeur, and he definitely deserves to win the Cup. However, the Kings have been hot lately, they took down the one, two, and three seeds, however, this battle will be very unpredictable.


According to here, a Sports Illustrated article, many teams have been hot, and then had their weaknesses exploited in the Stanley Cup Round. I have another conclusion that could lead to the down fall of Kings. These one, two, and three seeds may or my not have played with their best effort, meaning that the Canucks, Blues, and Coyotes blew off their opponents as an easy sweep, and were quickly caught off guard. However, New Jersey is a six seed and they won't fool around.


I am not going to make a prediction this time around. I don't want to drive my readers broke due to gambling based off my so-called expertise. However, I will say this, Brodeur and the Devils have a lot of talent and might, just might, have the upper hand. Don't bet on it though, it might be the last thing you do before you get foreclosed upon. :D

Last Minute Preakness Preview

The Kentucky Derby came along and I botched that, I will fully admit. Predicting Gemologist to win was a definite screw up after seeing the horse finish in sixteenth. Now, we have a field of eleven horses. However, two of them seem to be taking centre stage.


Bodemeister
Bodemeister had the derby in the bags if it wasn't for I'll Have Another. Bodemeister is a great horse with great past performances. Bodemeister had a 99 Beyer Speed Figure during the Derby. His best ever was a 108. To put things in perspective, Secretariat had a 139 during the Belmont. Anyways, Bodemeister's Beyer at the Kentucky Derby wasn't very good. If his Beyer can be better, maybe he'll be able to win this one. I expect him to at least show.


I'll Have Another
After his win at Churchill Downs, I'll Have Another is the odds favorite at the Preakness with odds of 5-2. After looking at his previous races, I think I'll Have Another is at the peak of his career. The Derby was I'll Have Another's third consecutive win. To be successful in the Preakness, I'll Have Another will have to have a slightly better run. His jockey needs not to leave it up to the last seconds of the race to make his move. Other than that, I'll Have Another should place or win.


It looks to be a great race between Bodemeister and I'll Have Another. I am very excited to see who comes out on top.

Stanley Cup Final Four

A grueling season and two rounds of intense NHL playoff competition have brought us to this, four teams, who are looking to bring home hockey’s most notorious prize: the Stanley Cup. On one side of the bracket we have two teams who beat the odds and after years of drought, are ready to face the big boys. On the eastern side of things, two regular season powerhouses look to one up the other and make into the finals. The question is who will make it? Well, I suggest you read this.

Western Conference Finals

The LA Kings have come a long way. Not only did they beat the number one seed Vancouver Canucks in five games, they managed to sweep, and yes I said sweep, the number two seed St. Louis Blues, who were absolutely dominant during the regular season. Now they have a chance to take out the three seed, which f accomplished, would make a very, very memorable post season performance by the Kings.

The Great One is great at playing, but not so much coaching. Since Wayne Gretzky stepped down, four years after naming himself head coach in spite of having zero coaching experience, the Phoenix Coyotes have been on an upward spiral. Now, the Coyotes are in the Stanley Cup semifinals for the first time in a while. The Coyotes have been doing very well, and after an impressive series against the Nashville Predators, they have a bunch of momentum on their side.

*Conference Note: Wayne Gretzky in a way influenced both these teams. He played for LA after being traded from the Oilers, and Gretzky had a 10% ownership stake in the Phoenix Coyotes franchise.

Prediction: Phoenix wins series 4-3. The Coyotes will struggle, but in the end, they should overcome the Kings

Eastern Conference Finals

The Rangers didn’t exactly dominate the Washington Capitals like expected. However, I will admit, the Caps are a pretty talented team. However, if the New York Rangers don’t bring their A Game they will be in trouble against the Devils. However, if the Rangers can just relax and play like the Rangers they are, they shouldn’t have a problem.

Oh, Brodeur, you sly dog. You’re killin’ me bro. One game you are a star the next time you completely choke on me. You are going to force my readers to chase me out of town with a pitch fork. A pitch fork! Yes! That’s how unpredictable about you. You are going to completely bomb it. Anyways, Martin Brodeur from the New Jersey Devils can be very unpredictable. Sometimes he’s a star, sometimes he just doesn’t perform. Nonetheless, I respect as one of the better goalies in the NHL’s expansion era. But, I don’t expect much from the New York offense, seeing as they are a very defensive team.

Prediction: New York wins series 4-2. Defense wins championships, no?

It looks to be a good one! Let’s see who will get a chance to engrave their name on the great Stanley Cup!

The Art of Stadiums

Stadiums are often the difference between a happy crowd and a angry crowd. The latter should be avoided at all costs. Rarely, has it been defined, what exactly makes a stadium great. In this post I will take an in depth look at what makes a stadium great.

Playing Surface

Let's talk about grass. Everyone loves a turf field. They're sooo pretty. So does a turf field make a stadium great? Not Necessarily. In contact sports such as rugby and American football, athletes hit the ground almost constantly. So, the deal is, underneath most Turf fields is a solid slab of concrete. So, it adds to the hurt after getting hit. It's the same way in baseball, you go for a slide in the outfield, and it's that much harder to scrape your bones of the turf. That is why I think well manicured Grass is the way to go.

Let's turn to hockey. Ice is just ice. There's not a lot of different kinds of ice. So, I am not going to give a run down about hockey rinks anytime soon. 

But wait, my friends, but here comes basketball my friends. There are a lot of different pattern to display wood. On the left is the court of the Boston Celtics. If you look closely, you will see a square pattern. This sticks out and makes the court look unique. However, if you take a common court, say Madison Square Garden, you have your normal court pattern. I tend to prefer the normal pattern, but it depends what interests you.

Spectator Environment

There are small details that makes me, a fan, happy. Obviously there are more tangible factors, like the rowdiness of the fans around me that are hard to control. However, things like that can be somewhat curbed via a good security staff. However, there are lots of intangibles that should be discussed. 

The most crucial, overlooked stadia detail in my opinion, is the presence, or lack of, cup holders. I can't say how many times I have bought a soda and had to put it underneath my seat or next to my foot where it is just waiting to be knocked over and spilled. Cup holders are small details that make a fan's experience just that more comfortable. 

Staying on the topic of food/drink, concessions also make a fan happy. As a stadium owner, you want to have a good variety of choices, from just snacks to small meals such as hot dogs or sandwiches. A good strategy would be to partner with fast food restaurants such as Subway to provide food during your games.

On a different note, seats are a big part of keeping spectators happy. Seats need to be big enough to accommodate a man on the heavy side, but you don't need to go out of your way to appease a person who is 100+ pounds overweight. Also, you need to keep your seats maintained; there's nothing worse then a seat that squeaks as you sit in it.

Source:   http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17977841

Kentucky Derby

It's that time of year again when handicappers from all over the world get set to watch America's most prestigious race. It's been 34 years since Affirmed won the triple crown in 1978. Can Union Rags, Gemologist, or Bodemeister pull of a triple crown this year?

What I Expect

Gemologist has a great grandsire (great grandfather) of Northern Dancer. Northern Dancer had a great history. He was rode by Ron Turcotte, who was the jockey for Secretariat, which in itself shows he was something major, but he also won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. This, in my opinion, shows, that the Crystal Shard (of whom Northern Dancer is a grandsire) side of the family has great speed traits, with a lack of endurance.

If you look on Gemologist's other side, you will see a great grandfather of Seattle Song. Seattle Song himself wasn't that impressive, but his Dad, Seattle Slew, was an extraordinary thoroughbred who won the Triple Crown the year after Secretariat did. 

Gemologist has a great bloodline. In my opinion, it's almost similar to the characteristics of Secretariat's inheritance. He too had speed on one side, and endurance on the other side of the family. However, there's a lot more to horse than just bloodline. Gemologist hasn't lost a single one of his five starts. He even won the Wood Memorial, which is a very prestigious pre-derby race.

If you look at the video to the left you can watch him run in the Wood Memorial. Gemologist had a close call, but if you watch his stride, it's absolutely beautiful. One of the key things I look for in a good horse is his anatomy and how muscular he his. Gemologist, in my opinion, has a great muscular body and is great at tracking down leaders.

So, I expect Gemologist to at least show in the Derby. If he doesn't win, I think Bodemeister probably will. Union Rags' recent performances have been sub par in my eyes, He should get a third or fourth finish.